Monday, December 28, 2009

The Good Stuff: Clint vs. Clint

Recently, E and I decided to use our much-anticipated date night to see Invictus, the new Clint Eastwood film starring Morgan Freeman. It is the story of how "Nelson Mandela, in his first term as the South African President, initiates a unique venture to unite the apartheid-torn land by enlisting the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup." [IMDB.com] We were so excited to see how this inspirational true story would play out on the big screen, but walked away utterly disappointed by the film. The movie was flat, the acting was flat. There really wasn't much inspiration. Even the clichéd placement of harmonious African music during pivotal scenes was not utilized well. We were shocked that such a talented director [Eastwood] and actors [Freeman and Matt Damon] didn't leave us feeling awed.Last night, E and I noticed Gran Torino, another movie by Clint Eastwood, which he also starred in, was playing on tv. Neither of us had been intrigued to see this film about a "disgruntled Korean War vet who set out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager, who tried to steal his prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino" [IMDB.com] while it was in the theatres, but with little else on, we gave it a try. We were more than pleasantly surprised! The acting was great by all, the storyline flowed and didn't leave us scratching our heads thinking, "Huh?" Now, this was a film worth seeing.So, if you're looking to catch flick to pass the time between Christmas and New Year's, save your $13 for a theatre ticket and rent Gran Torino instead.

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Saturday, December 26, 2009

Mail casualty

I was so proud of myself for having found the perfect card for Becky's birthday and mailing it somewhat on time [ok, so it got into the mail on her actual birthday so it would have been late, but not that late.] I even adorned the envelope with the cutest glitter cats, imagining that Becky's cat, Pike, might also enjoy some feline friends.

I waited well after her birthday to hear from Becky about her snail mail surprise before posting pics of these fantastic glitter kittens, but she never mentioned it. Finally, I asked her about it and was so dismayed to learn that either Canada Post or USPS had failed me. The card was lost in mail limbo. [Then I realized that I had failed by writing the wrong zipcode!]

Here's a peek at the lost kittens:Maybe they'll be a 2010 surprise and show up unexpectedly.

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Friday, December 25, 2009

From our family to yours

Wishing you a fabulous Christmas!
[ignore the crying baby.]

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Monday, December 21, 2009

The Pink Orange

I have been following this wonderful blog, ella minnow pea, for sometime now because I love Rebecca's aesthetic and taste in everything from stationery to home decor stuff. She posts a lot of it in her "friday finds."

Well, how excited was I when she posted her own stationery company, The Pink Orange? I knew her stuff would be fabulous, just from reading her blog and seeing her own tastes [I have intuition like that...I don't even have to know you!], so I was excited when she offered her new holiday cards on sale a few weeks back. I hadn't planned on sending cards out this year because of all the *save the trees/do people really care about holiday cards?/send a real letter* thoughts I've been having recently, but I couldn't wait to get my 6 little Ellie bird cards in the mail!

And fabulous they were! The card itself is an amazing heavy-weight stock that my pen just glided across. The letterpress was so beautiful that you just want to keep running your fingers over it. It was hard deciding who would receive the cards, but I have only one card left, and I think I'm going to give it to E or Indio for Christmas just so I can save it!

Check out Rebecca's store and blog...I bet you'll find something you love!

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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

First trip around the sun

First Day

One year ago, our lives were changed forever. Our family of 2+dog became 3+dog when our first born, Indio, entered our lives.

He was scheduled to be born on December 22, but decided that he wanted to make his entrance exactly a week earlier. Of course, my hospital bag wasn't ready! Luckily, E was able to pack the necessities [laptop and camera were all I really *needed*] into a duffle bag while I hobbled around our apartment looking for everything else I said I should put into the bag weeks ago!

At 8:07am on Monday, December 15, 2008, we began a journey so rewarding, an adventure so exciting, a love so indescribable...and all so unique to us. Don't get me wrong, the last year hasn't been all peaches and cream. There were definitely moments where it was harder than I ever imagined possible. But as cliché as this sounds, it really was all worth it.

It's scary to think that an entire trip around the sun has already passed and that our little boy is almost walking, talking, and becoming more and more his own little person. I really don't know where the time has gone, and though I'm so excited for what the future has in store for us, I'm a bit sad that everything is moving so quickly. We'll always have the memories, right? [And the thousands of photos I've taken!]

Happy 1st Birthday, Indio! We love you!

First Birthday

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Monday, December 7, 2009

Superwoman surprise!

I've been feeling all *woe is me* because E left for NYC this morning and I'm here all by my lonesome. As much as I love Indio and our pup, Cassius, it's definitely harder taking care of both of them and finding the time to eat even once a day when I'm on my own. Add to it that I'm working 3 days a week, which means I need to get up at an un-Godly hour to get ready before getting the two of them ready.

Fortunately, the day has been going fairly well so far, free of mishaps, but it was still ho-hum at best. Well, that all changed when I checked the mail. Amidst all the junk there was a brightly coloured envelope addressed to me! It was a Wonderwoman fold-n-mail from Faiza! [Did she know I used to have Wonderwoman Underoos? Does she know I'm obsessed with fold-n-mail?] My day just got a million times brighter! Thanks, Fai!
Front of envelope. Don't you love her lettering?

Back of envelope.

Wonderfully colourful inside message

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Sunday, December 6, 2009

It's beginning to look a lot like...

One of my favourite things about the holiday season is the decorations people put up on their houses. Our neighbourhood is alive with colourful, twinkly lights and this house has definitely taken *Christmas lights* to a whole new level.

The house is covered, top to bottom, with lights. The front lawn has 18 wreaths, hung along the metal fence-like structure that surrounds the front lawn, which is not very large in the first place. [The wreaths were up when this house was decorated for Halloween, another elaborate display, but not as crazy as this one!] There is a nativity scene in the middle of it all, and a large sign asking passersby to ring the doorbell if they would like a closer look at it.

These photos were taken with my phone, so they are not the best quality, but I think you get the idea.

I wonder what their electricity bill is! 'Tis the season!

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Saturday, December 5, 2009

Pink Glove Dance

This morning before I had fully opened my eyes, E excitedly told me he wanted to show me something. He then pulled up this video, which instantly brought a smile to my face:

Over 200 staff from Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Oregon volunteered to be a part of this video wearing pink latex gloves used to promote Breast Cancer awareness. A portion of the sales from the pink exam gloves will fund mammograms for uninsured women.

If this doesn't make you want to dance, I don't know what will!

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